North West | Industry, manufacturing | Technology & innovation

Kaliningrad nano-sized chips to digitize Russian television

12 Dec '12

GS Nanotech, Russia’s first nanotech based microchip production facility in the town of Gusev outside Kaliningrad, is expected to start operating at full throttle in early 2013 with a capacity of 10 million microchips a year, Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reports.

According to GS’ Alexei Yartsev, “the pilot runs of the microchips have already been made and are now being tested. The microchips will be used in the digitization of Russian television, and also in related sectors.”

The chief production manager also said the company’s R&D center is also working on designing a new generation of microchips.

Today, GS components are used by a neighboring regional factory, Digital Television Systems, to manufacture digital add-ons, satellite TV antennas, and some other hi-tech radio electronics.

The company is reportedly hoping to secure a contract from Rusnano, Russia’s largest nanotech company.

The GS Nanotech microelectronics R&D center broke ground in Russia’s westernmost enclave in 2011. The firm makes microchips to 45 nanometer design rule, four-layer boards, memory chips, and software. It partners with Portugal’s Nanium, a European leader in memory production. GS Nanotech is said to have raised $37.5m in foreign investment.

GS Nanotech is part of Technopolis Gusev, an innovation infrastructure project run by the Kaliningrad regional administration.